Device for dispensing asphalt



Oct. 20, 1964 J. N. WILLIAMS ETAL DEVICE FOR DISPENSING ASPHALT Filed May 4, 1962 .Ffz'a. 1.

55 2 M w a @W W ml, .& V W 5 a w M MA R R 0 M Z w M M m lw ww MMWM WHAT United States Patent 3,153,495 DEVICE FOR DISPENSING ASPHALT .l'ames N. Williams and Loren J. Williams, both of 1649 Spruce St., South Pasadena, Calif. Filed May 4, 1962, Ser. No. 192,432 4 Claims. (Cl. 222--313) This invention pertains to a new and improved device for dispensing hot asphalt or various related compositions.

In the roofing field it is necessary to place asphalt or various other similar compositions into a liquid state through the application of heat, and then to transport the molten viscous resulting fluid to a location where it is to be used. In the past this frequently presented a serious problem inasmuch as hot, liquid asphalt is relatively difli: cult and hazardous to handle and inasmuch as this material must be transported to where it is used before it has had a chance to cool to any significant extent. Similar problems are, of course, encountered handling various compositions which are related to asphalt in physical properties.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved device for dispensing a hot viscous fluid such as molten asphalt'or a similar composition in a molten form. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved device of this type which is relatively simple to construct, easy to maintain, which will perform satisfactorily over a prolonged period without any significant or undue maintenance and which is very reliable in opertion and which can be safely used.

These and various other objects of this invention as well as many specific advantages of it will be more fully apparent from a detailed consideration of the remainder of this specification including the appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a device of this invention installed upon a kettle or container for heating asphalt or a similar composition;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The accompanying drawing is primarily intended so as to clearly illustrate for explanatory purposes'a presently preferred embodiment or form of this invention. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will realize that a number of differently appearing devices for dispensing a hot viscous fluid can be constructed so as to utilize the essential features or principles of this invention as are set forth in this specification and as are embodied within the structure shown in the accompanying drawing through the use of exercise of routine engineering skill or ability. I

As an aid to understanding the invention it can be stated in essentially summary form that it concerns a device which is adapted to be mounted upon a container for heating viscous fluid, which device includes a pump having an inlet and an outlet, a pipe connecting the inlet to the interior of such a container and an outlet pipe connected to the outlet of the pump, this outlet pipe being branched so as to have an upwardly extending branch pipe leading upwardly from the pump outlet and a downwardly extending branch pipe leading into the interior of such a container. Further, a valve means as hereinafter described is mounted upon the extremity of this last branch pipe. This valve means is connected in such a manner as to close off the end of this lower branch pipe when it is desired to dispense fluid from the container and to open so as to permit such fluid to be re- "ice circulated into the interior of the container at all other times.

The actual details of this invention will be more fully apparent from a detailed consideration of the drawing. In this drawing there is shown a device ll) of the present invention for dispensing a hot viscous fluid from a container 12 forming a part of the device 10. The particular container 12 illustrated in the accompanying drawing is preferably formed as set forth in the copending application for U.S. Letters Patent Serial No. 82,633 entitled Asphalt and Compound Melting Kettle filed January 13, 1961, now Patent No. 3,086,512; the entire disclosure of this copending application is incorporated herein by reference. Other differently appearing and differently constructed structures for use in holding and melting asphalt and other related compositions can, of course, be used with the particular device 19. This container 12 includes internal cylinders 14 and a manifold 16 as described in this copending application which are utilized in heating materials within it. s

The particular device 10 includes a conventional prime mover 18, which may he an electric motor, gasoline engine, steam turbine, or other conventional power source, which supplies power to a centrifugal pump 20 through a flexible coupling 22 so as to actuate this pump. The pump 2t) includes a conventional inlet 24 and a conventional outlet 26. The inlet 24 is connected to the interior of the container 12 adjacent to the bottom of this container through the use of. an inlet pipe 28. The outlet 26 of the pump 20 is connected to an outlet pipe 30 which leads to a T-like fitting 32 which in turn carries an upwardly extending vertical branch pipe 34 and a downwardly extending vertical'branch pipe 36. A fitting 38 of a conventional variety may be attached to the uppermost extremity of the pipe 34 for use in connecting this pipe 34 to another pipe 40 used in conveying hot asphalt or the like to a roof or other elevated location.

A small bracket 42 carried by the pipe 34 is used to rotatably support the ends of a yoke 44. This yoke 44 in turn is pivotally connected to two rods 46 which extend vertically along the pipes 34 and 36 to immediately beneath the lower end 4-8 of the pipe 36 within the container 12. The lowermost extremities of these rods 46 are connected together by means of a small plate 50 which in turn carries a semi-spherical valve body 52 in such a manner that this body is always located directly opposite the lower end 48 of the pipe 36. Small guide brackets 54 on each side of the rods 46 may be secured to the pipe 36 for the purpose of making sure that the rods 46 do not move to a position in which the valve body 52 is other than opposite the lower end 48. This lower end 48 carries a small fitting 56 having an internal spherical surface 58 serving as a valve seat. This surface 58 is approximately of the same dimension as the surface of the valve body 52.

During the utilization of the device It) asphalt or a similar composition is placed within the container 12 and heated. After the material within this container 12 has become heated to sufiicient extent so that it is hot and viscous the motor 18 is started so as to operate the pump 26. As this pump 20 is operated the hot viscous fluid will be moved through it and into the outlet pipe 30. Normally gravity will move the valve body 52 away from the surface of the fitting 56 so as to allow the fluid flowing through an outlet pipe 30 to circulate down through the pipe 36 back into the interior of the container 12. Such movement will also be caused because of the fact that there is less resistance for the hot viscous fluid to move in this manner than for such fluid to move upwardly through the pipe 34 and the other pipe 46 connected to it.

When it is desired to dispense the hot viscous fluid from within the container 12 through the pipes 34 and 40 a cable or cord 60 attached to the extremity of the yoke 44 remote from the bracket 42 is pulled upwardly. Preferably this cable 69 passes a pulley 62 attached to a bracket 64 which is carried by the fitting 38. When the yoke 44 is rotated in this upward manner it will cause the valve body 52 to move upwardly until this valve body fits and seats against the surface 58. It will be recognized that this causes a valve action preventing further flow of fluid from the outlet pipe 30 back into the interior of the container 12.

As a result, the hot, viscous fluid moving through the outlet pipe will move upwardly through the pipes 34 and 40 to a desired location. When a desired amount of hot viscous fluid such as asphalt has been received in this location, the flow of fluid may be easily stopped by releasing the tension upon the cable 6%. When this occurs gravity as well as the fluid within the pipes 34, 3d and 49 will act upon the valve body 52 causing this body to move away from the surface 58, again allowing the fluid to be recirculated into the interior of the container 12. The particular shape of the valve body 52 and the surface 58 described in the preceding is considered to be particularly advantageous inasmuch as when these parts of thedevice it? are formed as indicated the chances of their mal-operation in achieving a valve action are substantially reduced. Further, with the structure described alignment problems between the body 52 and the surface 58 are minimized since these parts will fit against one another even if they are not in complete alignment. Further, when these parts are formed as indicated there is little if any tendency for heat caused expansion to inter,- fere with their operation, and also they are of such a shape that any tendency toward accumulations or deposits of residue upon them tendingto interfere with their operation is effectively minimized.

In order to complete a structure in which the device 19 is used it is possible to add to this device 10 and the container 12 used with it various auxiliary means such as for example, the partial cover 66 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing which are designed to cover a part of the container 12. The particular cover 66 shown is attached to the pipes 28 and 36 for the purpose of aiding in supporting these pipes, although this is not normally necessary.

Because of the nature of this invention it is to be considered as being limited solely by the appended claims forming a part of this disclosure.

We claim:

l. A device for dispensing a hot viscous fluid which includes:

pump means for pumping a hot viscous fluid, said pump means having an inlet and an outlet;

inlet pipe means connected to said inlet, said inlet pipe means terminating beneath said pump means and being adapted to be disposed within a container for a hot viscous fluid;

outlet pipe means connected to and extending from said pump outlet, said outlet pipe means being branched, said branch being adapted to be exterior of the container, one branch of said outlet pipe means extending upwardly, the other branch of said outlet pipe means extending downwardly, said other branch being adapted to be disposed so as to terminate within said container for hot viscous fluid, said pump means causing flow of hot viscous fluid through at least said other branch of said outlet pipe;

valve seat means secured to the end of said other branch of said outlet pipe means;

a valve body movably mounted on said other branch of said outlet pipe means; and

means for moving said valve body against said valve seat including yoke means pivotally attached to said outlet pipe means, rod means connecting said yoke means and said valve body and cable means for rotating said yoke means in order to cause movement of said valve body toward said valve seat means against the flow of said hot viscous fluid, said cable means being connected to said yoke means so that tension in said cable is a function of the flow of said hot viscous fluid past saidvalve body.

2. A device as defined in claim l-wherein said valve seat means has a spherical surface and wherein said valve body is of a spherical shape corresponding to the shape of said surface of said valve seat means.

3. In combination:

a container for a hot viscous fluid:

pump means having an inlet and an outlet mounted exteriorly of said container;

motor means for actuating said pump means connected to said pump means and mounted on said container; inlet pipe leading from the interior of said container to the inlet of said pump means;

an outlet pipe leading from the outlet of said pump means, said outlet pipe being branched exteriorly of said container, the branches of said outlet pipe means having axes extending vertically and being aligned with one another, the lowermost of said branches terminating within the interior of said container; valve seat means located on the end of said lowermost of said branches within the interior of said container; a valve body movably mounted adjacent to said valve seat, said valve body being movable generally along theaxis of the lowermost of said branches; and manual means for moving said valve body into contact with said valve seat means connected to said valve body, said manual means acting against the flow of hot viscous fluid out of the lowermost of said branches into the interior of said container so that release of said manual means causes said hot viscous fluid to move said valve out of contact with said valve seat and the force required to operate the manual means to move said valve body into contact with said valve seat means is a function of the flow of the hot viscous fluid across said valve seat means, whereby the force required on said manual means to move said valve body against said valve seat means is a function of flow across said valve seat means so that said manual means gives a signal of said flow.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein said valve seat means has a spherical surface and wherein said 'valve body is of a spherical shape corresponding to the shape of said surface of said valve seat means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,450,158 Chaffin Mar. 27, 1923 1,731,795 Roberts 0a. 15, 1929 3,033,245 Schreter et al. May 8, 1962 

1. A DEVICE FOR DISPENSING A HOT VISCOUS FLUID WHICH INCLUDES: PUMP MEANS FOR PUMPING A HOT VISCOUS FLUID, SAID PUMP MEANS HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET; INLET PIPE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID INLET, SAID INLET PIPE MEANS TERMINATING BENEATH SAID PUMP MEANS AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED WITHIN A CONTAINER FOR A HOT VICOUS FLUID; OUTLET PIPE MEANS CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING FROM SAID PUMP OUTLET, SAID OUTLET PIPE MEANS BEING BRANCHED, SAID BRANCH BEING ADAPTED TO BE EXTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER, ONE BRANCH OF SAID OUTLET PIPE MEANS EXTENDING UPWARDLY, THE OTHER BRANCH OF SAID OUTLET PIPE MEANS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY, SAID OTHER BRANCH BEING ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED SO AS TO TERMINATE WITHIN SAID CONTAINER FOR HOT VISCOUS FLUID, SAID PUMP MEANS CAUSING FLOW OF HOT VISCOUS FLUID THROUGH AT LEAST SAID OTHER BRANCH OF SAID OUTLET PIPE; VALVE SEAT MEANS SECURED TO THE END OF SAID OTHER BRANCH OF SAID OUTLET PIPE MEANS; A VALVE BODY MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID OTHER BRANCH OF SAID OUTLET PIPE MEANS; AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID VALVE BODY AGAINST SAID VALVE SEAT INCLUDING YOKE MEANS PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO SAID OUTLET PIPE MEANS, ROD MEANS CONNECTING SAID YOKE MEANS AND SAID VALVE BODY AND CABLE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID YOKE MEANS IN ORDER TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF SAID VALVE BODY TOWARD SAID VALVE SEAT MEANS AGAINST THE FLOW OF SAID HOT VISCOUS FLUID, SAID CABLE MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID YOKE MEANS SO THAT TENSION IN SAID CABLE IS A FUNCTION OF THE FLOW OF SAID HOT VISCOUS FLUID PAST SAID VALVE BODY. 